Growing Up: Valentine
by hunnyfresh
Summary: Growing Up Series: Regina has a secret admirer


**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognizable characters**

* * *

Henry sat at his mother's desk in the visitor's chairs, working hard and carefully to print each of his first grade classmates' names legibly on the Spiderman Valentine's day cards. He wrinkled up his nose whenever he wrote a card for a girl, grossed out at the fact that Spiderman claimed that 'My Spidey-sense senses you, my valentine.'

He looked up thoughtfully at his mother who was working diligently on her computer, seemingly oblivious to the holiday that tended to give him chocolates.

"Mom?" He asked putting his pencil down.

Regina stopped her work to direct her attention to her son. "Yes, dear?"

"How come you're not making Valentine's day cards?" He tilted his head in curiosity.

She chuckled to herself. "I don't have a valentine, sweetie."

The news seemed to baffle the boy. He knew long ago that he didn't have a father like the other children in his class, but everyone should have a valentine. "Graham can be yours."

The Mayor expertly steeled her gaze before responding. "He's just a colleague, dear."

Henry tapped his chin in thought before agreeing. "Your valentine should be someone special. The bestest."

Regina gave her son a warm smile before leaning over her desk to pat down his wayward hair. "That's why I have you."

* * *

Regina couldn't grasp the concepts of these frivolous holidays ever since she and the populace arrived in Storybrooke. Every other citizen automatically knew the significance of St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, and Halloween, and Christmas seemed to be a carbon copy of Yule Tide back in the Enchanted Forest, but these holidays were meaningless until Henry came into her life. She had explained the holidays, celebrating her first real Christmas with Henry shortly after adopting him, ringing in the New Year with her new baby, and was a spectator every Fourth of July instead of being involved in the set up because she was a political figure like every other year.

So when she woke the morning of the 14th of February, she made a mental note to pick up a small Valentine's teddy for her son, not quite willing to indulge his sweet tooth for the day. She was sure his class would be loaded up on sugar from their Valentine's Day party anyway. She quickly settled into her morning routine, moving up and out of bed to shower for the day.

* * *

"Did you remember to thank Sheriff Graham for picking you up from school yesterday?"

Henry smirked into his piece of toast before nodding.

"Is there something I should know?" She questioned at her son's peculiar behaviour.

The boy swallowed his bread, putting on wide innocent eyes and shaking his head. "No."

She narrowed her own, not quite believing him, but a glance at the clock let her know they were running behind. Packing his lunch in his bag, Regina ushered her son out of the door as soon as he was finished his breakfast and fastened him in his booster.

She arrived to the school in record time, turning just in time to see Henry scurry out of the back.

"Have a good day!" He yelled out after giving her a kiss on the cheek. She furrowed her brow every time he glanced back but thought nothing of it as she drove off to Town Hall.

* * *

"These came in for you, Madame Mayor." Her secretary had a grin on her face as she set down a bouquet of wildflowers on her desk.

"From?" Regina questioned, removing the phone from her ear.

"An admirer," her secretary smirked before walking out.

Regina rolled her eyes and searched for the card amidst the flowers. She found the folded slip of paper and opened it past the Game of Thorns insignia to find a crayon written note in capital letters.

FROM YOUR VALENTINE!

She couldn't stop the grin from forming on her face. What a special little guy she had in her life.

* * *

Regina was waiting outside her Benz to pick up Henry for the day, holding her bouquet in her hand and the red and white teddy in the other. She smiled when she saw Henry catch sight of her and run at top speed, a bag of cards and goodies firmly in his grasp.

"Who's that from?" He waggled his eyebrows in the direction of her flowers, feigned innocence written all over his face.

She showed him the flowers and helped him into the backseat. "It seems I have a secret admirer."

Henry giggled into his palm.

Regina replaced the flowers in the front seat but returned to the back and presented her son with the small gift. "I found this on our doorstep."

The boy's eyes widened as he took the toy into his arms.

"Looks like you have an admirer too." Regina grinned and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Glancing out the window at his fellow female classmates wondering which one had snuck out of school to place the teddy at his home, he grimaced and made a face. "I want you to be my Valentine."

The Mayor couldn't stop the grin from forming on her face. "Good because I left it on our porch."

Henry smiled and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck. He kept her there and whispered in her ear. "I have a secret."

"Do you?"

Henry nodded. "I'm your Valentine."

Regina feigned a gasp. "I was hoping it'd be you."


End file.
